NFL draft: Barkley bypassed, Jones jubilant

Eric Fisher, from Central Michigan, stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday at Radio City Music Hall in New York. JASON DECROW, AP

The wait continues for Matt Barkley.

The first round of the 2013 NFL draft came and went Thursday without the quarterback from Mater Dei High and USC being selected. That would have been a shocking development after the 2011 season, when Barkley was considered a certain first-rounder. After a disappointing 2012 and a season-ending shoulder injury, it wasn't unexpected.

Barkley might have known what was coming. He spent the early part of the first round visiting sick kids at Children's Hospital of Orange County. Barkley regularly visited hospitals when he was at USC.

He declined comment Thursday through his agent.

Barkley turned down the NFL's invitation to attend the draft, preferring to stay home with his family, which lives in Newport Beach. That turned out to be a prescient move as well, as Barkley was spared the fate that befell fellow quarterback Geno Smith.

The West Virginia product, the consensus No. 1 passer in this year's draft, did not get picked either Thursday. He instead spent three-plus hours looking glum in the green room at New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

Day One of this draft proved to be a strange brew: Only one quarterback, Florida State's E.J. Manuel, got picked, going 16th to Buffalo, which traded down from No. 8 to select him. At least two quarterbacks had been picked in the first round of each of the previous 11 drafts, including the first pick each of the past four years.

This year, three of the first four picks were offensive linemen, including the first two: tackles Eric Fisher of Central Michigan (Kansas City) and Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M (Jacksonville). Fisher became the first player from the MAC to be picked first overall.

With Barkley, Smith, Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o still available, today's Round 2 should feature plenty of fireworks. Smith was projected to go as high as No. 3, Nassib No. 8 and Te'o No. 20. It's a dream scenario for ESPN and NFL Network, if not for the players themselves.

Although the first round was almost bereft of quarterbacks, teams addressed passing-game needs with the majority of the picks. The first six selections were either offensive tackles or pass rushers. In all, nine offensive linemen were selected in the first round – more than a quarter of the 32 selections.

Those blockers included Alabama's D.J. Fluker, who went to the San Diego Chargers at No. 11, and Oregon's Kyle Long, who went to the Chicago Bears at No. 20. The son of Hall of Famer Howie Long played at Saddleback College before transferring to Oregon.

In another sign that the sport is changing, or already has changed, no running backs were picked in the first round for the first time since 1963.

Green Bay, with pick No. 26, was thought to be a candidate to take a tailback. Instead, the Packers selected UCLA defensive end Datone Jones, who became the first Bruin to be selected in the first round since tight end Marcedes Lewis in 2006.

"It means a lot," Jones said by phone about an hour after the first round concluded. "I feel like I hold the key to the city of L.A."

This year marked only the second time in the past 11 drafts that UCLA had first-pick bragging rights over USC. It was also only the second time in the past six drafts that a Trojan did not go in the first round. Like Barkley, USC receiver Robert Woods is expected to be scooped up early today.

Jones, who attended Compton High, watched the draft with about 30 family members and friends at one of his favorite Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles. Jones' entourage included his mother, Shondra Hall, who helped keep Datone on the right path when trouble swirled around him as a youth.

"We overcame a lot of adversity in our lifetimes," Jones said. "For her to see me succeed, it's an accomplishment for her. Not a lot of people we know are first-round draft picks."

Asked if he ever could have imagined a year ago that he'd be picked ahead of Barkley, Jones said: "I thought Matt Barkley would be the first overall draft pick this year."

Barkley might be the first pick of Day 2. That selection belongs to the Jaguars, one of several teams holding early second-round picks who could be in the quarterback market. Others include the Eagles (No. 35), Cardinals (38), Jets (39) and Raiders (42).

Eric Fisher, from Central Michigan, stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday at Radio City Music Hall in New York. JASON DECROW, AP
Geno Smith of the West Virginia Mountaineers stands on stage prior to the start of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday in New York City. AL BELLO, GETTY IMAGES
E.J. Manuel of the Florida State Seminoles holds up a jersey on stage after he was picked 16th overall by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday in New York City. AL BELLO, GETTY IMAGES

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